


The Small Things

by eClair23



Category: Kingdom Keepers - Ridley Pearson
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-03
Updated: 2020-10-03
Packaged: 2021-03-07 15:49:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26800144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eClair23/pseuds/eClair23
Summary: Sometimes the smallest things mean the most. Willa stresses before an interview.
Relationships: Isabella "Willa" Angelo/Dell Philby
Kudos: 4





	The Small Things

Willa took a deep breath in the green room backstage, counting to four before she exhaled for a count of eight. Her breathing slowed back to normal, but she couldn’t stop shaking. She pressed her forehead against the wall, grounding herself.

It wasn’t like she’d never done an interview before; they were part and parcel of the whole DHI thing, but she had never gotten used to or comfortable with them. Being in front of all those people, and put on the spot with whatever questions they chose to fire at her? No, thank you. She much preferred working behind the scenes with her friends to save Disney. 

Maybeck and Charlene thrived in front of an audience. Finn and Philby were passable, and you’d never know if they were uncomfortable. But it was painfully obvious that she was itching to get out of her chair from the minute she sat down, and years of practice hadn’t helped much. At least she didn’t feel like she was going to puke any second this time. That was an improvement.

Philby came over to the corner she was holed up in. “Everything okay, Wills?”

She shook her head.

“Are you nervous again?”

“Yeah. You’d think after all these years of going all-clear I’d be a little better at dealing with fear. Pathetic, huh?” she said ruefully, her face flushed.

“It happens to the best of us,” he promised. “These interviews aren’t my favorite, either.”

She pinched the bridge of her nose, willing away the nausea.

“Here, let’s sit, okay?” He escorted her over to a couch, a hand resting lightly on the small of her back. They sat, and he kept an arm around her, firmly stroking up and down her arm. She gratefully rested her head on his shoulder, allowing herself a moment to relax.

“You’re shaking.”

“Mm hmm. It happens when I get anxious.” Her voice was raspy.

“I’m sorry.”

“Me too. It’s hard to hide onstage.”

“Are you worried about the interview?”

She nodded. “I’ve always had trouble with them. I just can’t seem to get over it.”

“Hey. When has the worst case scenario ever happened?”

“Never.”

“Exactly! And it’s not going to happen today, okay? It’s only an hour, we can do this. And then we can go back to the hotel and watch a movie or do something fun. Sound good?”

She snuggled closer to him. “Sounds great. But have you seen the magazines lately? What if they ask us about all the rumors floating around about us?”

“If they do ask us, are you okay with telling them the truth?”

She thought for a minute, then nodded. 

“And I can take any kind of relationship questions, if it’ll make you feel better,” he offered.

“That would be great. Thanks, Dell.” 

He kissed the top of her hair. “Of course, love. It’s going to be okay.”

“Places, please!” A crew member hollered into the room.

“Thank you, places!” The Keepers chimed, used to the routine at this point.

Dell gave her shoulder one last squeeze as they stood up. As they neared the door, he grabbed her hand and squeezed before letting go and walking onto the stage. 

They took their seats at stage right, next to each other. 

The interviewer put the five Keepers at ease, introducing herself as Meg and explaining that she was a huge fan of Disney and of all of the work they had done to save the parks. Finn thanked her for having them and for hosting the interview, and the others echoed the sentiment.

The Keepers were asked the usual questions: are you guys friends outside of your acting work for the company? What’s your favorite Disney park? Favorite Disney movie? Etc. 

The interviewer switched gears. “I think we’ve all seen the rumors floating around recently that some of you all have paired up… outside of work. Have you all seen the magazines?”

The Keepers nodded reluctantly. 

“Well, I’m sure our audience, and the world, are just itching to know whether or not those rumors hold any water. So, you’ll hear it here first, folks. Which of the Kingdom Keepers are dating?”

The crowd ooed. Willa shifted nervously in her seat, and Philby threw her a reassuring smile. The crowd didn’t miss this, responding with gasps as Willa blushed.

“Well, it seems to me that some of the rumors are true.” Meg laughed.

Philby raised his hand. “Actually, technically no one answered the question.” The other Keepers groaned. “But as it happens, I’m happy to do so. Willa and I are dating.” He smiled at her, and she offered a shaky lopsided smile in response.

The audience burst into applause as the two flushed scarlet. Finn and Maybeck laughed, and Charlene just grinned at Willa, proud of her best friend’s courage. The other Keepers had already known, but they were surprised to hear it announced; the two had kept details to themselves, and they’d tried very hard to be lowkey about the whole thing.

Willa raised her hand to speak. The crowd whooped one last time, then quieted down. “We are. And if you don’t mind, we’d like to keep things between us, so I think that’s really all we should say. We appreciate the enthusiasm, though,” she grimaced. He winked at her, and she felt a little better. 

The rest of the interview passed by in a blur, Willa feeling relieved and more at ease than she had before onstage. She even raised her hand to answer a few questions! She’d found a new level of confidence, and it was exciting. Knowing Dell had her back had certainly helped, but not having to sneak around hiding from the paparazzi now was a relief. It had made her feel a little calmer to know that rumors would stop flying around now that they’d confirmed them. She didn’t feel as defensive. Before she knew it, the interview was over and she was walking backstage, Philby’s arm around her shoulder. 

When they got offstage, she turned to him, grinning and jumping up and down. “We made it! We really did it, I can’t believe it!” 

He laughed, picking her up and spinning her in a hug. “We sure did! I’m so proud of you, love.”

She giggled. 

“We can’t forget our backstage tradition.” He raised his hand for a high five, which she gladly obliged. They’d been doing this since the beginning of the Keepers. Willa had been even more terrified of interviews back then, and in an effort to help her feel more relaxed, Philby had started the high-fiving tradition after every interview as a celebration that they’d made it through. She’d come to rely on his encouragement after interviews and panels, and she was grateful for their tradition. 

Sometimes the smallest things meant the most.


End file.
